These are soft-baked and super thick peanut butter cookies topped with Reese’s peanut butter cups. They’re exactly like peanut butter blossoms but with a peanut butter cup!
Using my absolute favorite peanut butter cookies recipe as the base, go ahead and stick a peanut butter cup inside after baking. You won’t regret it. 🙂
Today’s peanut butter cup cookies are complete with sparkly sugar. And like these peanut butter blossoms, they’re guaranteed to be the thickest peanut butter cookies you ever taste!
Have you ever tried my recipe for super soft peanut butter cookies? It’s lived on my website for years and I have many cookie recipes using the same dough:
- Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- PB&J Thumbprints
- Reese’s Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies
Today’s peanut butter cup cookies are my personal take on traditional peanut butter blossoms, which are typically made with chocolate kiss candies. I simply used peanut butter cups instead. Whenever there’s an opportunity for more peanut butter, just say yes.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
They’re snap to make! Simply mix up the peanut butter cookie dough, chill for about 1 hour, then roll into balls.
- Baking tip: Roll the cookie dough balls in a little granulated sugar. This gives the finished peanut butter cup cookies a little sparkle.
Bake the cookies for only about 10 minutes.
- Baking tip: The trick to their softness is slightly underbaking, so make sure you don’t keep them in the oven for too long. The cookies will be very puffy and soft-looking, but they’ll set as they cool.
Cool the cookies for about 5 minutes, then press a peanut butter cup on top.
- Baking tip: Quickly transfer the cookies to a plate and freeze for about 10 minutes or until the peanut butter cup has set. Some peanut butter cups will melt into the cookies, but that’s completely fine.
You will LOVE how thick these peanut butter cup cookies are! If you have any cookies left by day 4 or 5, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that they remain just as soft. In fact, these cookies get softer as the days go by! They completely defy cookie science. And I love it.
If you…
- Have a peanut butter lover in your life, you have to make these cookies.
- Love peanut butter as much as I do, you have to make these cookies.
- Have any taste buds at all, you have to make these cookies. Case closed.
And while I have you… if you love these flavors plus the added texture from oatmeal-based cookies, these peanut butter cup oatmeal cookies are for you, too!
Print
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft-baked and super thick peanut butter cookies topped with Reese’s peanut butter cups. They’re exactly like peanut butter blossoms but with a peanut butter cup! This cookie dough requires 1 hour of chilling in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (185g) creamy peanut butter*
- 1 large egg, at room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar (for rolling, optional)
- 24 Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed until combined. On low speed, beat in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Turn the mixer up to high and beat until light in color and smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. On low speed, slowly pour in the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Cover tightly and chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. Measure cookies to be 1.5 Tablespoons each. I recommend this medium cookie scoop. Pour extra 1/2 cup granulated sugar for the topping in a bowl. Roll each cookie dough ball in the granulated sugar and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes. Cookies will look very soft. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Working quickly, press 1 peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie. Quickly transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe dish (I use a plate) and freeze for 10-15 minutes or until the peanut butter cup has set. Some of the peanut butter cups will melt slightly—that’s ok.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then continue with step 4. Baked cookies with peanut butter cup on top freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop
- Why Room Temperature Ingredients? Room temperature egg is best for cookies. General rule of thumb: when using warm or room temperature butter, I recommend room temperature egg as well. To bring egg to room temperature quickly, simply place in a cup of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Peanut Butter: Thick, non-natural creamy peanut butter is best but if using natural style, make sure the peanut butter is thick and not oily in the slightest.
- Double Batches: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled by doubling or tripling each ingredient. Chill for at least 90 minutes if doubling or tripling.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Dear Lord! I’m in love. The batch I whipped up made 32 cookies, though, and my boys and I ate them all in two days. That’s bad. I’m setting up to double the recipe. I’ve got to share these. So delicious!
These are the most delicious peanut butter cookies I’ve ever made! However, mine turned out much flatter than pictured. I followed the recipe exactly, left the dough in the fridge over night, and even froze the cookie dough balls while the oven preheated. Any suggestions? I want them to stay a little thicker like yours! Thanks so much!
Hi Jeri, We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe! If your cookies are spreading too much there could be several causes. I suggest taking a look at this post 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies from Spreading. It should help you troubleshoot for next time!
This recipe is a keeper! Made them several times and they’re always a big hit!
This peanut butter cookie base is so adaptable and always amazing! I often combine different components from various recipes on your blog to experiment with new creations. I made these peanut butter cookies and filled them with a chocolate truffle cheesecake ball (adapted from your red velvet cookies stuffed with cheesecake frosting), and they were absolutely killer! For the filling, I substituted cocoa powder for about 1/2 cup of the confectioner’s sugar that the recipe calls for, and froze them. Rolled the peanut butter cookie dough into balls (after chilling), and flattened a bit so I could re-roll them around the frozen truffle balls. Rolled in granulated sugar and baked as this recipe instructed. I then topped the finished cookies with a little chocolate drizzle and some candied crushed peanuts. I wish I could share a photo of the final product. I think I’ll try a PB&J version next time.. maybe with a strawberry jam/cheesecake filling. Thank you, Sally, for doing all of the legwork for me!
Do you press the peanut better cups in right away or after the cookies sit for 5 minutes? By the way, every recipe I’ve made of yours turns out great!
Cool the cookies for about 5 minutes, then press a peanut butter cup on top. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for the quick reply. They turned out great!
I’ve seen this type of cookie made in a mini muffin tin…would this recipe work that way & would I need to adjust for size & cooking time?
Yes! In fact, I have that exact recipe in Sally’s Cookie Addiction cookbook. Bake time is about 10 minutes.
Can you make these by mixing in mini peanut butter cups instead? It is all I have in hand and cannot go to the store now —OR get home delivery! If yes – how much would recommend mixing in? 1 cup?
Absolutely! I recommend about 1 cup.
I’m wondering how to store them…
Easily the best peanut butter cookies I’ve made. The tips were really helpful. I made them for a cookie swap but ended up leaving a good portion at home because I wanted them for myself 🙂
great flavor! i only had natural pb, so i made sure it wasn’t oily before adding and cooled the dough as suggested. instead of freezing the cookies, i just freeze the pb cups before i put them on the cookies. i don’t have a ton of freeze space, so this method always works better for me. thanks for the recipe!
I made a total of like 150 of these this month. Everyone is obsessed! One tip I have. I always do these in big batches and always in the winter, so what I do is take the whole tray out on my porch to cool after placing the reeses. That way my cookie sheets are ready to use again for the next batch quickly and the cookies are set super quick also. I have a large family so I’m always short on fridge and freezer space. Merrrry Christmas!
I LOVE peanut butter and chocolate, but i have never been a fan of soft-baked cookies, i like a crunchy, crumbly cookie, any advice on how i can turn this recipe into that?
Hi Jon! You may want to use my traditional peanut butter cookies recipe instead and add the peanut butter cup to that. They’re crispier on the edges.
Can I make the cookies bigger and use big peanut butter cups?
Hi Laura! I don’t recommend it. The cookies crack a little too much if they’re too large.
Absolutely delicious! Made the cookie dough yesterday and made cookies the following eve. Can’t wait to share them with my daughter and son…and my all- grown- up grandsons ♥️
Are these able to be frozen? Made them with my grand-daughter this weekend, along with two other cookie recipes from your site. All were very good, but these were… OMIGOSH, DELICIOUS!!
Hi Jill! They can absolutely be frozen 🙂 Baked cookies with peanut butter cup on top freeze well for up to 3 months. I’m so glad you loved these!
Hi Sally,
Can you roll the cookie dough into balls before putting them in the fridge instead of doing that part after they’ve been chilled?
Thanks!
Ashley
Yes, that works also!
I made these for a large Thanksgiving get together… they were the fave! I also made these for a wedding I baked for and they were by far the crowd favorite. They stay moist for days, hold their shape well and taste SO good! Thanks for another great recipe, Sally!
These were a hit! Thanks for the recipe!
Some of my cookies cracked and fell apart when I put the peanut butter cup into the middle. Please help!
Hi Mandy! Make sure you don’t over-bake the cookies and press the peanut butter cup into the cookies while they’re still pretty warm.
Wow!!! I was never a peanut butter cookie kinda gal….until tonight when I tried this recipe!! Just…wow!! I had left over dough, my kids may have gotten into the pb cups, so I added some semi sweet chips in and even that tasted amazing!! Thank you for never letting me down with your recipes!
I made these for the first time today and I’m so impressed!
I’m not a big cookie baker, I tend to do a lot more cupcakes but these were so quick and easy and they taste amazing!
I’m so glad I bought enough ingredients to do two batches because I get the feeling these won’t be hanging around for long!
Wow Sally!!! These are THE BEST EVER Peanut Butter Blossoms!!! I can’t get over how good they are and am sad I brought most to my coworkers because I only have a few left at home. Oh well! Going to have to make another batch!! Thanks!
These look amazing! I can’t wait to try them. I might try them with the dark chocolate peanut butter cups from trader joe’s
Literally already made these last night. They are INCREDIBLE
Could I make these in the mini muffin tins and use the new mini mini peanut butter cups? I’m thinking that would be close to heaven and a 1 bite candy cookie. 🙂
Yes! In fact, I have that exact recipe in Sally’s Cookie Addiction 🙂 No need to use mini mini pb cups– this size works perfectly for a mini muffin pan.
Sally, Your Peanut Butter Cup Blossoms are the second cookie recipe my daughter and I made tonight and they are also AMAZING! (Breakfast Cookie being the !st recipe) Thank you so much for your yummy, easy to follow recipes. I have learned so many things with your helpful hints throughout your website that I’m happy to be able to pass on to my girls. Making memories in the kitchen with my daughters, priceless!
Sally, these are so amazing! I made some on Wednesday, and had to make some more today! They are so delicious! I love all of your recipes! I haven’t made one recipe from your site that I haven’t loved! Thank you for all the delicious creations!
I had to try these! As I couldn’t get peanut butter cups in stores here (Germany). I made them myself. I tried mini muffin paper liners and they got way too big but that doesn’t matter at all! 🙂 I had to be very careful to put them into the cookies, and yes, they are awesome and mega delicious.
Thanks for your fantastic recipes, Sally.
Greetings from Germany.
Thank you for the recipe Sally!! I made these today for my fiance’s co-workers and they LOVED them! They said I should open a bakery! LOL I used some butterfingers eggs we had left over from Easter too and they worked great.
Thank you again for all your recipes, I have not found one yet that we didn’t love!